One Injury too far!
by Catygirl
Summary: What might have brought Jack and Sam together after season 8. Read on and find out.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue

One Injury too far! Prologue.

_AN: So just a small start to wet your appetite for my next story. There are 4 chapters and unlike the last one it is complete. It's Jack and Sam and set after season 8 and beyond. Hope you enjoy. _

The end of the Goa'uld had brought only slight change. They'd moved from General and Colonel to Jack and Sam. Friends but nothing more.

Then being stuck out in space and seeing the rest of the fleet destroyed had seen them going from friends to something a little more but nothing concrete.

Calling him to tell him that she'd left his best friend behind on a planet with a crazy god-like psycho and that she couldn't find a way to get him back had been difficult and had led to tears and recriminations. Then, finally, to slight admissions of still 'feeling feelings'.

Now, apparently, given the bedraggled General beside her bed, this was one injury too far.

_AN: Much more to come very soon, I promise. _


	2. Chapter 2: Finally Fishing

Chapter 1: Finally Fishing

_AN: So here is chapter 1 of this story. I don't own the characters but just love writing about them. Enjoy._

Sam lay in the small guest room in Jack's cabin. They'd arrived late the night before and they'd all gone to bed without paying too much attention to their environment. Unfortunately for Sam, she simply couldn't sleep. It had been a trait that had been common throughout her life. Sometimes it was because she'd watched something on TV that had gotten her mind going. Other times, it was a serious problem that caused her to overthink. It could also be the fact that something was going on in either her professional or personal life. Whatever it was, her mind simply wouldn't stop. The little man in her head wouldn't switch the light off, as her father used to say.

Her father.

Her heart began to ache. They'd buried her father only the week before. It had been a small family service followed by a ceremony at the SGC, allowing all groups of people in her father's life – both from Earth and the Tok'ra – to suitably mourn him. But she hadn't found it easy to mourn. She didn't deal well with emotions, found that she shut herself off from them. Could as easily end up inappropriately laughing as crying. So, she'd stood straight as her father's body had been lowered into the ground. She hadn't flinched as the guns had marked their salute to a General, and a US ally. She'd allowed her team to lead her throughout the day and they, in turn, had taken the heat from Mark when he'd asked all sorts of 'easy' questions like, "How exactly did he die?" Or, "Why was he in Colorado, anyway?" Finally, she'd decided to deal with the issue head on and had pulled Mark aside.

"Mark, I love you, but if you can't accept that I can't answer your questions then I need you to leave."

Sam had walked away from her brother, fully expecting to not see him again. After all, she'd thrown a lot at him in the last few weeks, what with cancelling her Dad's trip, explaining he was dying, telling him his father was dead, and that, oh, yeah, she was cancelling her wedding.

She'd been surprised, delighted and emotional when he'd suddenly come barrelling up behind her and pulled her into a hug. It had been at that point that Colonel Carter had allowed Sam out and she'd spent the next few hours crying on her brother's shoulder and then on her CO's when he took over.

They'd saved the world once again after that and then, to her delight, Daniel had been returned to them. General O'Neill, for all his attempts to convince people of his stupidity, really wasn't and he'd seen that 'the team', and for that read 'she', was at the end of their energy, so he'd invited them all to Minnesota.

And now here she was, exhausted, but unable to sleep. In love, but no longer engaged, and a leader with no team. On the way to the cabin, her team members had both casually announced their desire to leave SG-1.

Sam rolled onto her side, curled into the foetal position, and started to giggle. No wonder the little man was struggling with the lights; she was giving him enough issues to light a nuclear reactor. As she pictured the little man in her head trying to fight with the light in the old lamp – because that is how she always pictured him – it all became too much and the small giggles turned into howls of laughter and soon she was crying with amusement.

Suddenly, the door to her small room burst open and, to her surprise, she saw all three of her best friends standing there with concerned looks on their faces. Of course, the picture they made was so amusing that Sam continued to laugh.

Teal'c wore his undershirt and loose pants – not in itself amusing but he'd clearly been deeply asleep and had a line down his face where there must have been a crease in the pillow. It perfectly linked his tattoo to his mouth and Sam found it hilarious.

Daniel must have been asleep with his glasses on because his hair was sticking up and his glasses were under his nose with one arm at a very odd angle. However, that wasn't the thing that sent Sam into further gales of laughter. No, it was his PJs. Indiana Jones, no less.

And the General. Well, he was a sight, too. White undershirt, very nice – sexy, even. However, it would've looked far better if Homer wasn't glaring at her from his underwear. D'oh! was exactly right.

It took several minutes for her to calm down and by then the three men had realised she wasn't upset but smiling, although all of them could see that Happy Sam could turn into Crying Sam very easily.

"So, Carter, mind telling us what we're all doing up at O dark 30?" Jack asked with one eyebrow raised.

Sam giggled again but tried to calm herself down. "Sorry, Sir. I couldn't sleep and my mind started wandering. It just found something funny to focus on."

Jack smiled, finding her amusement contagious. "Well, as long as there's nothing wrong, I think we should all try to get some shut eye, don't you, Colonel?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!" Sam tried to salute but found Homer still too amusing and failed as she fell back on her pillow, laughing again. This time, without knowing what had set her off, Daniel joined her. Teal'c's booming laugh soon joined them and Jack simply stared at his top team as they fell apart in front of his eyes.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud! Why are _you_ two laughing?"

"I don't know, Jack," Daniel said as he continued to laugh. He pointed to Sam, "But something's clearly funny. As the old saying goes, it's better to laugh than to cry."

Within an instant, Jack could see that Daniel's words had been the wrong thing to say as Sam's laughter turned to tears. Great sobs racked her body. Jack resisted the desire to slap his friend, knowing he hadn't meant it. He hastily pushed Daniel and Teal'c out the door before he made his way over to the bed and, without thinking, hopped in and took Sam into his arms. He felt her snuggle in beside him and begin to slowly calm down.

"Sorry, Sir… I don't…"

"Shhh, Sam, it's okay. You don't need to explain anything." Jack continued to hold her, waiting for her breathing to settle.

After what seemed to Jack like an eternity, he finally heard Sam whisper, "I don't want to be a leader without a team." He nodded, having wondered what was behind the lack of sleep, and this made perfect sense. She'd been on a rollercoaster, what with her dad and the cancelled wedding. He'd worried that this would be one step too far.

"The Goa'uld are gone, Sam. You can do whatever you want to do. T and Danny are doing the same, only they thought about it quicker than you did." He waited for Sam to reply, wondering what was going on in that great big brain of hers.

Without looking at Jack, Sam eventually said, very quietly, "I spoke to Cassie yesterday."

"How is she?" Jack asked, wondering about the abrupt change of topic.

"Struggling... the anniversary... you know..." Sam shrugged.

Jack squeezed her back to comfort her. "She's done really well this year, finishing high school, getting in to a good college..."

"She failed her end-of-semester exams," Sam corrected him quietly.

"She what?!" Jack jostled her when he yelled.

Sam winced as she sat up to face Jack and pleaded with him. "Please calm down. She said she wasn't coping. She was really upset."

Jack calmed down almost immediately. "Oh, why didn't she tell us she wasn't coping?" He pulled Sam back towards him.

Sam willingly lay down again before explaining. "She didn't want to worry us. I think she only told me because the Dean was going to call and inform me."

"So, what are we gonna do about it?"

Sam raised her head and looked at him questioningly.

"Well, she's our kid, Sam. We saved her before and we can save her now. So... what are WE going to do to help her?"

Sam smiled, her megawatt smile. "We, Jack, are going to be there for her." Sam hesitated for only a moment before saying, "Permission to ask for a transfer to Nevada."

Jack smiled back. "No problem, Sam. Excellent idea! You can go there, Cassie can move in for the summer, she can work at 51 with you, do some extra work, get some credit, and see where we are by the fall." He shifted down the bed a bit, keeping his arm tightly around Sam.

"And you can come visit on weekends?" Sam asked hopefully.

Jack looked carefully at Sam. "Do you want me to?" They hadn't had time for this sort of conversation in a while and it was long overdue.

Sam looked away as she whispered, "Can I be totally honest with you?"

"I said _always_, Sam. That means honesty and no backing away. So, yeah." Jack waited for a moment then, when Sam said nothing, quietly asked once again, "So, would you like me to visit?"

Sam sat up and faced him. "On the Prometheus last year, when I was kind of out of it, I saw some... visions, I suppose you could call them. Anyway, the vision of you basically told me to give you up, that I was using what I felt for you to stop myself from getting hurt."

"Is that why you dated someone else?"

"Yeah..." Sam squirmed, shocked a little at his directness, then took a fortifying breath before continuing. If Jack was willing to speak about it then so was she. "But it made me realise something. Jack, I have a picture of you in my head but I have no idea whether it's accurate or not. We never talk about anything personal with each other. I don't even know what a relationship with you would be like. Neither of us talk about our past, our likes or dislikes... Heck, that weird man who's been watching you with a stone knows more about you than I do."

Jack squirmed a little on the bed. He could see her point but he was really worried that she didn't want to get to know him as more than a friend, that maybe she didn't think it was possible. Could this be the end of any chance they had to be together? "So, what are you saying?" he asked, steeling himself for the worst.

Sam studied him, saw his face closing over, and reached for his hand. Quietly, she spoke while rubbing his knuckles. "Everything I know about you comes from knowing the _airman_. I want _you_ to come to Nevada so I can start to get to know _Jack_."

Jack turned his hand over and began rubbing Sam's knuckles. "I'd like to get to know _Sam_, too."

They both looked at each other at the same time and caught the eye of the other, neither saying a word. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"Whatever happens between us, we get Cassie back on track and we get to know each other. No running away. We see where this leads. Friendship first. Agreed?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed with a huge smile and lay back down and snuggled up to Jack. They both fell asleep in each other's arms. They'd laugh together, cry together, and fish together, becoming the best friends they both needed at this time.

_AN: Thanks for reading, would love to hear what you think but no story is held for ransom for reviews. _


	3. Chapter 3: After Friends

Chapter 2: After friends

_Ok here is the next chapter. We have jumped in time and are now at the end of Season 9. Hope you all enjoy seeing how Sam, Jack and Cassie have got on. Everything that we know in the show has happened, so this is running cannon – for now. _

Sam really hated being right. She'd thought this was a bad idea and it had turned out to be a bad idea – a really bad idea.

She was floating in space. If she thought about it in any more depth than that then she'd definitely have a panic attack, so she simply looked around her once more.

Damn, Jack was supposed to be visiting this weekend. She hated to miss his visits, although, with him in Washington, her in Colorado, and Cassie back in college in New York, it was harder for them to all get together than it had been when both she and Cassie had lived in Nevada.

Cassie had surprised both Jack and her and taken to 'family time' with gusto, often planning things for them to all do together. It had been obvious to both Sam and Jack that Cassie had needed the feeling of a family and parents at the beginning of her time in Nevada, so they'd both been there for her, and then they'd both started to feel like she was really their daughter. They often spoke of not only Janet but her first family on Hanka, and how much she missed them all.

While they were all grateful for the people who had been in Cassie's life, they relished the idea of being a family together. These family weekends had allowed Sam to get to know Jack in a very different way and she'd really enjoyed it. She was also aware, from the brutal honesty part of 'always', that both had had several chances to go out on dates but neither had taken those opportunities. In all honesty, she'd wanted to stay clear of dating. She had everything she needed for now. Well, obviously, not quite at this particular moment, because a miracle would be lovely right about now.

And a miracle was what she got. Now she was standing in her cramped SGC quarters being hugged to death by a 6'4" Major General who was struggling to let her go. However, for the moment, she was enjoying being held by her best friend.

Jack finally gave her one last squeeze then pulled back. "Carter, I swear you need to stop doing this kind of thing."

"Yes, Sir." Sam smiled up at Jack and watched as his hand reached out and almost touched her cheek.

"Sorry." Jack pulled back and cleared his throat, embarrassed at what she'd almost made him do.

Sam froze for a second then decided to bridge the gap he'd left between them. "It's okay." She ached to reach her hand out to touch his cheek as she said quietly, "I need to prove you're alive and here, too."

Jack pulled her back into his embrace, needing to feel her close to him. "This time, you get to call Cassie. She's been on the phone every hour since you missed the weekend meet up. I hate lying to the kid but there's only so much I could say to her."

"Deal. I'll call Cass. You get Landry to release me for a bit. Then we can go see her."

"I've changed my mind," he muffled into her hair. "I'll take Cassie. You get Hank."

"Oh, no. I wouldn't want you to have to speak to our daughter when you could be negotiating me some leave. There has to be some perks to your stars, after all." Sam smiled wickedly and then pushed him out the door of her quarters before turning to her phone. This was the real problem with becoming a family with Jack and Cassie; her work now had personal consequences. It wasn't something she took lightly.

The next day, Jack and Sam arrived in New York to spend some time together and with Cassie. It had been just over a year since their trip to the cabin and, in that time, they'd gotten to know each other quite well but they still weren't a couple. Both of them often wondered if they ever would be and then they'd catch each other's eye and realised that their time would come, they just had to work at it. Sam found herself still reacting when in his presence and Cassie constantly commented about the temperature rising when they were both in the same room.

Cassie was meeting them at JFK and both Sam and Jack spotted her as soon as they reached the arrivals area. She ran to hug Sam first, as it was she who'd been MIA.

"Sam, you gotta stop doing this! Jack was aging every Skype conversation we had!" Cassie scolded the older woman.

Sam hugged her back. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Come on, ladies. There's a whole city to see and only three days to do it in." Jack put his arms around the two women and pulled them out of the building towards Cassie's vehicle.

"So," Sam asked as she put her carryon in the trunk and got into the vehicle, "What do you have planned for us, Cass?

"Well, since we were supposed to be doing a family day in Colorado, I decided we needed to do one here. I thought Central Park for a trip to the zoo and a picnic. Then I went to the booth in Times Square and managed to get us tickets for a show…"

"Please don't tell me that its _Cats_!" Jack interrupted, whining, knowing Cassie's delight in the show.

"Don't worry, Jack, it's better. _Beauty and the Beast_! Disney all the way!"

Sam laughed and lay back in the seat, letting the bickering of her family soothe her nerves that were still dodgy after her brush with disappearing into space.

Later that day, once Sam and Cassie had fawned over the baby monkeys in the zoo and Jack had taken them to the 'more manly' fierce lion enclosure, where, much to his disappointment, the lions weren't being in the least bit violent with each other but rather sleeping in the sun, Cassie had Sam to herself for a moment and walked over to her, putting her arm through Sam's.

"I'm so pleased you're okay. You are, aren't you? 'Cause you're a bit quiet."

"I'm fine Cass. It's just being out there and watching things going wrong. It makes you think. About the past, the future..."

"About Jack?"

"Yeah, about Jack." Sam sighed.

"And what did you decide?" Cassie asked quietly.

"He's my best friend." Sam looked at Cassie. "I know you want more, and so do I, but for the first time in my life I have a friend who simply wants the best for me and I'm really enjoying that, for now. Your mom and I got on so well and I miss her but even that friendship wasn't as deep as this."

"Well, no, considering you weren't in love with Mom!"

"Cass!" Sam warned her young charge.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just that I see you both almost avoiding each other and I so want you to be together. Can't you be together and still be best friends?"

Sam looked at Cassie and, for the first time, realised that this desire was perhaps more to do with Cassie's concern for her future than what was going on with her and Jack. "Cass, you should know by now that nothing will stop us being your parents. We made that promise to each other last year. The three of us are a family and if something more comes, then that's great but, if it doesn't, we'll never abandon you."

Cassie's eyes began to water. "I know and I know I'm supposed to be an adult now..."

"Stop! We all know that you've had to deal with more than any other young person in this world. You rely on us and we want you, too. Never, ever think you're alone. You have all of us. Jack and I as your parents and Daniel and Teal'c as supportive uncles." Sam pulled Cassie into a tight hug and almost crushed her to her chest.

"Hey!" Jack interrupted loudly as he walked up to his two favourite women and pulled them both into a group hug. "This is supposed to be a happy time, not crying in front of the penguins."

"Sorry, Jack," Cassie sniffed. "I'm just happy that Sam's okay."

"Me, too," Jack said quietly, then pulled Sam even closer. "I might even have to use my influence to keep her locked in the mountain from now on."

"You better not!" Sam jabbed him in the chest and smiled when he gave an overexaggerated wince.

"Okay, okay! Now enough of all this," Jack declared. "I believe there was talk of a picnic and something to do with beasts and singing." He turned and headed for the exit, grumbling, "I'll never live this down," under his breath as he walked ahead of Sam and Cassie.

Cassie pulled on Sam's arm. "Promise me something?"

"Anything," Sam answered earnestly.

"Don't _not_ get with Jack because you're afraid. Okay?"

"I promise. We'll let it happen, not force it, but also not fight it, I promise."

_SG1_

AN: Thanks for reading, more to come very soon


	4. Chapter 4: Finally feelings

Chapter 3: Feelings at last

Sam was done in, totally exhausted. Her world had collapsed. Again! She stood at the bottom of the ramp and watched as the gate closed after Daniel hadn't come through behind them. He'd told them to go, promised he'd follow, but something had gone wrong. Cataclysmically wrong. As the pressure of that realisation landed on her shoulders, Sam fell to her knees just as she handed over her weapons to the SFs. Teal'c moved to her side and put his strong arm under one of hers to help her up.

Sam looked at Teal'c, the knowledge that she'd lost Daniel swirled around in her head. How was she going to explain this to him? How was she going to tell Jack that Daniel was now in Adria's clutches? How was she going to admit that the implicit trust he'd put in her had obviously been broken?

"I have to…" Sam began to explain in a whisper, but Teal'c nodded to show his understanding, saving her from having to continue. He knew that no one else would have the job of telling O'Neill. It would be her job. It was her right.

Landry strode into the room and addressed Cameron. "Colonel. Report."

Cameron took his eyes off Sam and Vala, who were now both being helped by Teal'c, to focus on his superior. "We found Merlin, Sir. Daniel had Merlin's memories downloaded into him and Adria got Daniel."

"Report to the infirmary, SG-1. There'll be a briefing in one hour. I'll go report to General O'Neill."

"No," Sam stated firmly. "We all agreed that if anything happened to one of us, we'd inform him."

Landry didn't quite know what to think. The original SG-1 were revered around the SGC and were often given a latitude that wouldn't be given to anyone else. In this case, he was unsure what to do. Jack O'Neill was his friend but he was well aware, from conversations with the man himself, that this team was his family, and at the moment it looked like one member was MIA. He nodded, after considering the situation. "Very well, Colonel, get checked out then you can call Homeworld Security. However, remind General O'Neill that this is my base and I don't need him swooping in to save the day."

"Yes, Sir," Sam responded weakly, secretly wishing that Jack would do just that but knowing, deep down, that he wouldn't abuse his position that way.

Landry left and SG-1, minus one member, made their way slowly to the infirmary.

After being seen first in the infirmary at the gentle suggestion of Teal'c and Mitchell, Sam now found herself standing in her dark lab, unsure how to proceed. She'd spent the time in the infirmary trying to collect her thoughts but only one thought had reverberated - she had to be the one to tell him. She knew Teal'c could've done it, but this was Daniel, and Jack had put him in her care. She had to be the one to tell him that his best friend was missing - again.

Her hand was shaking as she lifted the receiver and put through a call to the familiar number that she'd taken to calling ever since he'd left for Washington nearly two years earlier. It rang for a couple of rings, then she heard his voice.

"O'Neill!"

That was all it took, his voice, his tone, for the tears which she'd managed to contain during her exam to escape.

"Carter?"

Sam heard Jack's question but she couldn't speak. She simply started to sob uncontrollably. She was therefore very surprised, several minutes later, to have the handset removed from her hands and to feel herself pulled into familiar arms. She sank, unthinking, into the embrace before her brain finally started to work and she pulled back.

Sam stared up at him, her mind trying to decide if she was imagining this or not. "How did you get here?" she asked quietly.

Jack simply smiled gently. "Well, you keep telling me to use my stars for good. Nothing better than coming here to you. The Daedalus was in orbit so I got a hop here."

"I lost Daniel," Sam said, the tears starting again.

"I know. I made Mitchell give me the cliff notes version downstairs. But you did nothing wrong, Sam."

"How do you know?" Sam asked weakly.

"Carter, we've done this for over 10 years. This was Daniel's choice and he's to blame, if there is actually any blame at all. I trust you."

Sam launched herself back into his arms, squeezing the breath out of him. As she pulled back, she looked into his eyes. "What happened to you?" she asked, seeing something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Jack looked away, unsure whether she needed to hear his news right at the moment. Then Sam tugged on his jacket. "Jack, what is it?"

"It's a long story, Carter. Actually, I've been to Atlantis since I last saw you. Replicators got me and did their thing. Not pleasant, as you well know."

Sam knew he was cleansing the information for both their sakes and she let him do it. Something had happened in Atlantis that hadn't gone well. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to cope with hearing that story. She said, very quietly, "I'm not sure I can do this anymore."

Jack looked at her and pushed her hair away from in front of her eyes. "What 'this' can't you do anymore, Sam?"

Sam looked at him. She could say fighting, or being part of the Air Force, but there had only been one thing on her mind as she was being held by Jack. So, she decided to go with the absolute truth. "Being just friends with you. I need more. I need you."

"You've got me, Sam." Jack pulled her back towards him but they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Sorry, Sam, General." Cam stood shuffling in embarrassment. "Landry needs us for the debriefing."

Jack stopped Sam from moving out of his arms. If they were going to make a go of this, they'd have to face the people they worked with. He nodded to Cam and indicated for him to leave them, then turned back to face Sam.

"Sam, I need you, too. We've waited a long time for this. It's not going away. Let's hear about Daniel and then we can work on us, okay?"

Sam nodded and stepped back from him. "Are you coming to the debriefing? Landry warned me that you weren't allowed to swoop in…"

"He might have warned you, Sam, but the benefit of being his boss is that he can't order me to do, or _not _to do, anything. I'll let him have command but I'm here now and I want to know what happened to the top team. Why read the debriefing paper when I can actually hear it from the horse's mouth?"

"He won't be happy."

"Don't care, Carter. I don't take the stars out very often but they've been needed today." Jack indicated with his arm for Sam to exit the lab before him. "After you, Sam."

"Thanks."

The debriefing had been as traumatic as Jack had expected, especially when, as punishment, Hank had made him brief SG-1 on his trip to Atlantis. He heard Sam's sharp intake of breath when he mentioned the standing orders to detonate the nuke. He tried not to glance in her direction but failed miserably, and he could see the anguish in her features when he explained being searched by the Replicators and then her joy when he recounted how the Atlantis team had saved him.

Finally, mercifully, Hank had dismissed them all and given SG-1 some downtime.

Jack had just stood up when Walter popped up from the control room. "General O'Neill, your office has been in touch, wondering if you're returning today."

Jack hung his head. "Exactly what did they say, Walter?"

"That you need to have an iron-clad excuse as you have a meeting with the Joint Chiefs in an hour."

Jack looked round the room. Oh, he had an excuse, all right. He needed to be here to talk everything through with Sam. But both he and she knew it wasn't an important excuse.

Amazingly, Hank was the one to step in and give him a reprieve. "Tell them General O'Neill may be a little late. If they can postpone for an hour, that will allow us to finish up here."

Walter looked around, a little confused at the already finished meeting. Then he caught the look between O'Neill and Carter and nodded. "I'll tell them to try and move the meeting and then, if they can't, make his excuses for his late arrival."

"Dismissed," Landry said to the group and walked to his office.

Cam, Vala and Teal'c took their leave and Sam and Jack were left in the briefing room. Sam was still sitting at the table and Jack looked over at her. She looked up and met his gaze. This wasn't the place he would have chosen to discuss this but, on the other hand, in this public place he'd have to actually talk to her and not do anything stupid.

"Are we allowed to do this?" Sam asked in a whisper. "We've never really talked about it and you're still a General and my boss."

Jack stood behind a chair, almost using it as a barrier. He sighed. "Yeah, we can do this, Sam. We've been allowed to do this since you went to Nevada and I made it a condition on your return here."

Sam stared at him, shocked at his calm answer. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you were right when we talked last year. We both dreamed about doing this," Jack waved his arm between them, "But we didn't know each other outside of the mountain, outside of the uniforms. I don't know about you but I've enjoyed getting to know you. Getting to know Sam."

"Me, too." Sam smiled at him, the relief in her gaze palpable to both of them.

"Listen, Sam..." Jack nodded towards the stairs. "Walter's message won't have gone down well with the CJC. If I don't get there I'll be given my head in my hands to play with."

Sam smirked at his irreverent attitude to actually following an order. "Then you'd better go. I need to find Daniel and you need to keep the lights on here." She smiled. "We'll get our time soon."

"We will." Jack nodded at her, their eyes communicating more with each other than they could vocalise.

A throat was cleared behind Jack, so he turned to see Walter standing uncomfortably at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry, Sir," Walter said. "The Daedalus says that if you want your hop, you need to be ready now as they have maintenance to do."

"Ah, typical, my life at the whim of scientists. Can't get away from them, can I, Carter?"

Sam smiled at his attempt at humour and then stood to see him off. "No, Sir. I'll see you soon, General."

"You bet, Carter. Keep me informed about any Daniel news."

"Yes, Sir."

"Okay." Jack sighed, not happy about leaving, but he took a deep breath, nodded at Sam, then walked towards Walter. "Right, Sergeant, let's send me to my meeting." The two men turned and left the room, with Jack continuing to talk as they headed down the stairs. "You know, if you happen to not press the right button and send me to, say, Maui, I'd make sure you didn't get in trouble."

Sam could hear Jack's lame attempt to miss the important meeting as he and Walter left. She smiled at his joke but knew that his duty to his job would make sure he attended.

So, it was happening, finally. Cassie would be pleased. Sam had no idea how it was going to go forward but, from today, it appeared that they were up for admitting feelings and that was something that Sam was really happy about.

_AN: So that's chapter 3, one more to go. Thanks for all the reviews, will finish the story this week_.


	5. Chapter 5: The Line in the Sand

Chapter 4: The Line in the Sand

_AN: So as the title suggests, this story is set during Line in the Sand the season 10 episode where Sam doesn't believe she will survive and tells Cam that her password is 'fishing', the word that sent all shippers crazy. So this is the final chapter, thanks for reviewing. Glad you all enjoyed the story. _

General Jack O'Neill was not happy with himself. He'd promised that he'd make time to get his relationship with Sam started and he'd broken that promise. Sam had been busy at the mountain and, despite daily calls from their daughter, Jack hadn't found the time to get them in the same time zone. That didn't mean that they hadn't talked; they'd had many conversations about Daniel, Cassie and, yes, about them. They were supposed to have reached a conclusion on Saturday but Sam had been ordered by the IOA to try out her cloaking device. He should have listened to her, he really should have, because if he'd listened to her, he might not be sitting here in this quiet part of the infirmary counting the times that her chest went up and down with the machine attached to her.

One, two, three… he'd count all the way to twenty, then start again. He had to focus on something and her breathing was the easiest thing and it kept his eyes off the other tubes that were attached to her. He'd been sitting there for over 5 hours and the doc didn't expect her to wake up until morning. That was going to be an awful lot of counting to 20.

Jack let his eyes flick down her body. She was covered in a white sheet and he couldn't see her injuries but the picture painted by Carolyn Lam had been in such vivid technicolour that Jack didn't need to actually see the wound to know how close he'd been to losing her.

The hours ticked by very slowly and the remainder of SG-1 popped in and out. Teal'c, ever stoic, would remain at the end of the bed and take an inventory of the changes in his friend, then lay a hand on Jack's shoulder and take his leave. Vala was at the opposite end of the spectrum and was very emotional. She constantly held Sam's hand, cried over her condition, and then tried to keep her spirits up with stories of her past escapades. Cam, the most forlorn of the three, after nearly losing Sam after just having lost Daniel, was struggling to cope with the pressure. He'd stand to the side and will his friend to pull through but he couldn't make eye contact with Jack, and Jack understood that.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sam groggily opened her eyes. God, she was in pain, the all-over pain that made her realise that she'd come very close to not opening her eyes ever again. She slowly turned her head to see Jack slumped on the chair beside her bed. He was bedraggled, totally and completely dishevelled.

Sam tried to think back on what had happened to her. She remembered the machine, remembered her concerns about it working, and then pain. She remembered pain, ripping through her, feeling like she was going to die.

The letters!

She remembered telling Cam about the letters. Oh, things had to have been bad for her to give him the password and access to her letters to Jack and Cassie. She moved slightly on the bed and pain shot across her middle, enough to make her whimper out loud.

The noise, although quiet, was enough to wake Jack, who stirred slowly in his chair.

"Mmm... up…" He looked at the bed and saw that Sam was awake. "Carter… you gave me one heck of a scare." He stood up, reached over, and kissed her, smack on the lips. Then pulled back quickly.

"Uh… sorry… didn't…"

"Jack!" Sam said quietly but forcibly, "It's fine." They looked at each other for several seconds before Sam tried to move again and winced.

Jack moved back from her. "Damnit, Carter. Why didn't you say you needed meds?" Jack reached for the buzzer and called the doctor.

Sam gratefully watched as the pain meds were added to her drip, sending her back to oblivion. The last thing she was aware of was Jack taking her hand and squeezing it while she fell asleep.

It must have been several hours later when Sam awoke again. This time, Jack was asleep on the bed next to hers, and Cassie was sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, holding her hand.

"Cass?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Sam!" Cassie whispered quietly as she got to her feet, not wanting to disturb Jack. "I came as soon as I could. Jack couldn't get me a quick hop with the ships but he's been here the whole time."

"I'm thirsty."

"Good, that's good. Dr Lam said you can have some ice chips but not too many 'cause they're worried about your wound."

"What's wrong?" Sam whispered, suddenly worried.

"No, it's fine, honestly. Don't worry. It's just that they need to watch you to ensure that none of your insides are leaking out or something." Cassie shivered involuntarily.

Sam smiled gently at her. It always amazed her that Cassie could be around a doctor and SG-1, all of whom constantly had injuries of some nature, and still be completely squeamish.

As Cassie began to give Sam some ice chips, Jack woke up and looked over to Sam and Cassie. "I see Sleeping Beauty is back with us again." He sat up on the side of the bed and wiped his hand down his face.

"You talking about yourself, Jack, or Sam?" Cassie smirked.

Jack glared at his daughter but ignored the jibe. "How're ya feelin', Carter?"

"More comfortable," Sam replied, then reached out with her free hand to clasp his. "We need to talk." She paused for a beat before continuing. "But I need to have my laptop first."

"I'll go," Cassie spoke up, recognising the increasing tension that she'd witnessed over the last year and hoped that by leaving, her parents might finally decide to do something about the feelings they had for each other. "Is it in your lab?"

"Yeah, get Walter…"

"Don't sweat it. I just have to use my charms and I get to go anywhere…" Cassie said as she swanned out the door with a very feminine sway to her hips.

"Remind me to send a warning memo to all the single SFs on the base, just so they remember exactly who her 'father' is," Jack snarled while moving to the seat beside Sam's bed.

Sam smirked at him and his protectiveness. "You know, she'll find someone, someday, and want to be with him."

"Yeah, well, they're also gonna know who they're dealing with. Don't try and stop me, Carter. The minute she looks like she's serious about someone, they'll be getting questioned by me."

"Yes, papa bear, but remember, if you scare them away, you'll risk Cassie going with them."

"Well, that's why we work so well together. It'll be like good cop, bad cop."

"Or Cassie and I will just work it out together and keep you out of the loop."

"I'm not gonna let you out of my sight long enough for you to do any covert ops with Cassie."

"Is that right, General? And how are you going to keep me close?"

Jack moved so that his face was close to hers. "By making myself totally irresistible to you, Carter." He reached over to use his hand to push her hair from her eyes and then moved slowly forward and kissed her. He pulled back just as slowly, rubbing his thumb over her cheek as she came out of a daze.

"It's our time, Sam."

"Here's your…" Cassie began as she walked into the room. "Oh, please tell me I'm interrupting something romantic!" She was almost bouncing.

"Get over here." Sam smiled. "I want you both to read something. I wrote these after I was out in space for hours. I decided when I was lying in that building with Cam trying to save us that now's the time for you to read them."

Sam opened her laptop, typed in her password, and found the two files she was looking for. She handed the laptop to Cassie first.

_My dearest daughter,_

_I know this may be selfish as you're only going to read this when you can't ask me any questions. However, I want you to know that I think of you as my daughter, Cassie, and always have. I wished that I could have had you from the beginning but I wanted to give you a chance at a normal Earth life. I should have realised that it might not be possible for you to have that no matter who your mother was. _

_I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed spending time with you and Jack this year. For the first time since my mom died, I've felt part of family and I've loved every single minute of it. You make me so proud, Cassie, and I know you'll go on to be an incredible adult and contribute in whatever field you go into. _

_Cassie, I need you to do me a favour. Keep Jack in the world. Don't let him hide at his cabin. We haven't officially become anything yet but I love him and I know he loves me. He doesn't deal well with losing someone he loves and he usually shuts himself away. But this time, Cass, I need you to pull him through this. He loves being your father and I hope that the role will allow him to see past my death and into the future. _

_Look after yourself and remember you are very brave, and more than capable of living your life without me here. _

"Sam," Cassie whispered, handing the laptop to Jack and then almost barrelling on to the bed. She realised just in time that landing on Sam's injured midsection would be very painful and so she kept her weight off her. "I love you, too... Mom."

Meanwhile, Jack had begun to read his letter, although he was pretty sure that he knew what it would say.

_Jack, _

_I so want our time to come before my time's up so this is not perhaps the letter you expect to read. I love you, Jack, and I'm going to tell you that before I die. If you're reading this and I haven't yet told you, then I'm so sorry I didn't have the courage to do so before now. _

_But I'm not going to let it get that far. I've really enjoyed getting to know Jack the family man. You're the man I'm supposed to spend my life with. You're cranky, stubborn, stuck in your ways, and just the most amazing man I've ever met. _

_So, __Jack, __I love you. If I've taken the coward's way out and sent this as an email or a letter, please, please come and rescue me, 'cause I know you feel the same. _

_Always_

Jack pulled his eyes away from the letter he'd just read to meet Sam's eyes. "I never would have put you down as a coward, Carter." He smiled at her.

"Only in this."

Jack moved towards her and kissed her again. "I love you, Sam, but you already know that. It's our time now. What d'ya say we take it?"

"I'd like that." Sam nodded as she smiled shyly up at Jack.

"How about you get well enough to be discharged while Cass and I go and get your place ready for you. Then I can get some time off when you're allowed out of here to help you fully recover?"

"I'd like that."

Seeing that Sam and Jack only had eyes for each other, Cassie gently touched Sam's shoulder to get her attention. "I'll stay and help Jack and then go back to New York as soon as you're out of here."

"No," Sam said quickly, breaking eye contact with Jack and turning to face Cassie. "Please don't. Stay, at least for a few days, please."

Cassie nodded. "I'll stay, but you'll have to watch those PDAs while I'm there." She smirked when she noticed the blush that rose up Sam's cheeks.

"We'll figure it out, Carter," Jack glared playfully at Cassie before turning back to Sam. "Don't worry about it. You just concentrate on getting better so you can get out of here. I'm going to go and call the President. He wanted to know how you were and told me to get my head out of my ass and ask you out. I'll tell him that we have it under control." Jack smirked and winked at Sam as he started to head for the door.

"Jack..." Sam pulled him back to sit down beside her on the bed. "I'm really pleased we've finally got our time."

"Me, too. This was just one injury too far, Carter. I couldn't _not_ tell you this time." Jack smiled at Sam, stood, kissed her forehead, then headed to the door. He looked back to see his Sam and his daughter both smiling at him.

Sam took hold of Cassie's hand. "Well, you'll be happy now. It's finally happening."

"I am… but you are, too, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sam beamed despite the pain she was still in. "I have you and I have Jack. Everything else is just a bonus."


End file.
